Share:

Beijing studio MAD has completed an opera house in the Chinese city of Harbin, featuring an undulating form that wraps two concert halls and a huge public plaza (+ slideshow).

Photograph by Adam Mørk

The Harbin Opera House is the first and largest building that MAD has designed as part of Harbin Cultural Island, a major new arts complex among the wetlands of the Songhua River.

Photograph by Adam Mørk

The 79,000-square-metre building features a three-petalled plan. One houses a grand theatre with space for up to 1,600 visitors, while the other is a more intimate performance space for an audience of 400.

Photograph by Adam Mørk

The building is designed to mirror the sinuous curves of the marsh landscape, with an exterior of smooth white aluminium panels and glass.

These contrast with the rooftops, where a textured surface of ice-inspired glass pyramids allows light in from above.

Photograph by Adam Mørk

According to MAD, the building is designed "in response to the force and spirit of the northern city's untamed wilderness and frigid climate".

Photograph by Hufton + Crow

"We envision Harbin Opera House as a cultural center of the future – a tremendous performance venue, as well as a dramatic public space that embodies the integration of human, art and the city identity, while synergistically blending with the surrounding nature," said studio founder Ma Yansong.

The smooth surfaces of the opera house's exterior continue inside, where a large entrance lobby features arched windows and a latticed ceiling that is located beneath the sculptural glass roof.

Photograph by Hufton + Crow

At one end, a large block of Manchurian Ash wood encloses the grand theatre, with balconies and staircases wrapping around the outside. MAD describes is as "emulating a wooden block that has been gently eroded away".

Photograph by Adam Mørk

The second theatre offers more of a connection to the exterior, as its backdrop is a soundproof glass wall. Its walls look more like a pair of weatherbeaten stone cliffs.

Photograph by Hufton + Crow

The huge public plaza forms the third petal of the plan, and can be used as a venue for outdoor activities and performances.

Photograph by Hufton + Crow

There is another outdoor performance space at the top of the building – a terrace that also serves as an observation platform.

Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletters

Dezeen Daily
Dezeen Weekly

Dezeen Daily is sent every day and contains all the latest stories from Dezeen.

Dezeen Weekly is a curated newsletter that is sent every Thursday, containing highlights from Dezeen. Dezeen Weekly subscribers will also receive occasional updates about events, competitions and breaking news.

We will only use your email address to send you the newsletters you have requested. We will never give your details to anyone else without your consent. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email, or by emailing us at privacy@dezeen.com.